A Firebird's Sky is the Limit
by Iscreamer1
Summary: A Keith fanfic told from my own characters. Three Russian-Americans, Johann, Dunya and Alexei are determined to keep Keith's secret from being revealed, especially Natalie. Contains a few alternate versions of certain scenes.
1. Introduction and Prologue

**Here's a fic I made after seeing bits, pieces and the plotline of the independent film 'Keith' told from the POV of a few OC's I came up with, thinking it needed my own personal touch. I hope you'll appreciate my best efforts.**

* * *

At Santa Clara High School, a trio of students with a hidden agenda for chemotherapy counseling would stroll past their peers in locked arms or separate. Like a team of international thieves going undercover, they did their best to make sure that no one would find out what _really_ happened to the chemo victim for about a month, should he succumb. If any person were to find out about the person who was in the process of dying, would reply to the curious in a language they would (hopefully) not understand: Russian (but mostly Slavic and Jewish tongues). And here are the three Russian Americans to let this narrative unfold:

Alexisa Pytor or "Alexei" as he tended to be called was said to be named after the youngest son of Tsar Nicholas II and for some time an advisor to his rebellious cousin Keith Zetterstrom. Young and well health, he is somewhat religious and has a despotic attraction for his younger sister Dunya.

Dunya Pytor, was Alexei's little sister by three years (17 years old to be exact). She had been to nearly six schools behind her cousin Keith and doesn't wish to be a member of the Ukraine nobility. With a slightly innocent face and a partially cheerful personality, not mention an excellent music player with some CDs and an 8 track player containing some of Robin Harris' comedy sketches (of all them Bebe's Kids), she cherishes a platonic love for a young chemo patient named Billy.

Johann "Garbanzo" Litov, was Billy's idealistic 15 year old cousin, he left school in Tucson, Arizona and went to Santa Clara, where he became deeply involved with his younger relative and even shared a room with Billy. After Billy's diagnosis was announced, he had dedicated himself to keeping the boy's sickness a secret…

…and that's when Keith came in. At a medical center (prior to his relationship with Natalia Anderson), all four of them gathered quietly in a small room. "I don't mean to frighten you, but I think Billy and I have the same treatment." All three gasped in silent shock. "No…" said Dunya, switching her tone to a more skeptical teen, "Really?" "It would be alright if you guys kept my secret? Just until I…leave" "Of course not." replied Johann. "We would be glad to." "Just tell anybody about, If anyone tries to find, just reply to them in Russian. Hardly any of the students at my school will be able to understand that language and besides, it has a similar catch to your names."

The pondered over it for a little while, but finally the silence was broken.

"It will be our secret." said Alexei. And that's exactly what they were going to do.

* * *

**This story's got a bit of dialog and essence from the Russian characters of the PC game the Last Express (to which my characters are partially similar to) and might alter some events from the real movie. Here's the cast:**

**Alexei – Daniel Bonjour**

**Dunya – Michelle Trachtenburg**

**Johann – Myself (Jake Rutigliano) or maybe perhaps Macaulay Culkin if you want someone more notable.**


	2. The Brick and high school drama

For the next two years or so, the three teens kept their secret…

At the high schooler's local outdoor hangout "The Brick", as Keith was watching from the other side, his only company, Alexsis and Dunya were busy practicing Russian conversations on their cell phones via text messaging. A sly look came on "Alex's" face.

"Вы помните, чтобы получить таблетки? (Did you remember to get the tablets?)" asked Alexis.

"_Da, Alex."_ replied Dunya on her phone.

"Вам здесь нравится? (Do you like it here?)" he typed.

"Он хорошо выглядит. (It looks good.)" she said.

On the other side, Rafael Marquez, after meeting Natalie, came over to Johann on one end near the water. "Cigarette?" he offered. Johann looked at it suspiciously before replying: "Why not?" He took about three puffs when he saw Keith, Dunya and Alexis on the other side before trying to slip quietly away. "Sorry if we bothered you." said Natalie's friend, Brooke as Johann gave her left cheek a small rub. "For me, one cigar is enough." he reprimanded. "I can't take any such pleasure while some get cancer from it, good night." He left from the shore and walked around to where Keith's yellow 1962 Chevrolet C10 was parked.

Back at the high school a day later, when Keith and Natalie would eventually begin their relationship as lab partners, Johann would sit opposite of two while Dunya and Alexei remained on the right side two seats down from them. Johann looked at the couple-to-be with a wince and said, "I don't believe we've introduced." and said in Russian while shaking Natalie's right hand with his left one: "Меня зовут Иоганн Литов. (My name is Johann Litov.)" Alex looked up from his paper and gave the boy a small remark. "Дух, я знаю, кто вы. Это Иоганн Garbanzo, вид, который исходит от благочестивого человека, больного двоюродного брата может принести позор и бесчестье в преступную жизнь. (Duh, I know who you are. It's Johann Garbanzo, the kind that comes from a pious man whose sick cousin could bring shame and dishonor into a life of crime.)" Knowing he was referring to Billy, Johann gave Alex a disappointed glare. But soon, it was time to leave and Alex who gave Keith a parting wink said to Dunya: "Давай, сестренка, я получаю немного устал. (Come on, sis, I'm getting a little tired.)" Johann just sat there, confused and wondering if anything were to happen to his younger relative. "How many thousands of lives on the brink of cancer do I have to condemn by keeping my mouth shut?" he asked to himself.

Natalie, who had stayed behind for a little while, said to him, "Well, at least you have certain skills." Johann left in an awkward expression on his face, he didn't know if the girl had understood him or not.

Outside, Natalie came across Dunya looking out over the field; the latter turned to her and said: "Do you have any gum?" Natalie looked in her right pocket taking out a solid piece of bubblegum. "All I have is this." "After just spending the entire sizzle at the Brick, sure I would like some gum after all that partying." Natalie threw it in Dunya's mouth, "Thank you." she said. "By the way, Вы говорить на русском?" "Hmm?" asked Natalie, who leaning her left ear into Dunya's lips as she repeated in English. "You speak Russian?" "I haven't had too much interest in foreign languages. What about you? Are from Russia?" Dunya gave a sweet negative response. "Oh, we're just a bunch of American's who like to speak Russian if you who I am referring to: Johann and Alex. I can't understand it when they quarrel like our younger selves."

Natalie eventually became one of the curious who would ask them. "Well do you know what they said at science class, in English, please?" All Dunya could say was, "What does it matter? Добрый день. (Good day.)" and with that, she left, beginning to leave Natalie completely in the dark.


	3. The Outings and the Shock of Discovery

On the second night at the Brick, Johann found himself amongst a crowd of dancing teens and nearly bumped into one boy who said to him: "I couldn't help noticing your Russian, so tell me, you've ever seen those ballets?" Johann felt like the boy thought he was actually from Russia when he was not, so he replied: "Could you excuse me?" and walked away with a fake smile, using a flashlight to contact Keith, Dunya and Alex on the other side via Morse code as he watched Natalie and Rafael's dance moves and later eavesdropped on their conversations.

On the other side, in the back of Keith's Chevy C-10, he and Alexei were watching Natalie, Rafael and Johann through binoculars while Dunya was reading the newly-published romance novel _Twilight_ by Stephanie Meyer to help pass the time, for she knew that she wasn't going to get her turn at looking through the opera glasses (besides she left her 8-track player at home).

"First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was part of him — and I didn't know how potent that part might be" she read, "— that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him." Dunya put the book down and said distastefully, "Charming, Zac Efron should do it as a musical." She had recently seen _High School Musical_ on cable and wasn't too amazed with the young man's performance. As soon as Keith and Alex had spotted Natalie and Rafael kissing, they had to leave. Forcing Johann to walk all the way back.

On the very night Keith and Natalie went out, Johann, Dunya and Alex tagged along in the back wagon with a tarpaulin prepared for 4:00 AM to avoid recognition from Natalie's peers. Between fixing the truck and helping Natalie keep up with the lab reports (and preventing her from telling the truth about Keith), there wasn't time for the cousins to do anything else.

"Put a bowling ball on your chemistry teacher's front porch and his name is Walt." Keith said later on as the cousins hid in the shadows, watching the two putting bowling balls on front porches. Like hidden criminals they were unlike, they decided to give Keith and Natalie some alone time. When a patrol car came by, unfortunately, Johann, Dunya and Alexei were already ducked down just as Natalie and Keith were in the front seat. Johann quivered with his hands in locked fingers, "They come and leave, they come and leave, they come and leave..." "Слушайте его повторять. (Listen to him chant.)" Alex whispered to Dunya in Russian. "Он получит черные руки, если он продолжает это делать. (He'll get black hands if he keeps doing that.)"

Johann squirmed uncomfortably in the rear wagon even more when Keith and Natalie went into the restaurant by themselves, but he was completely satisfied (and a little bit surprised) during the next night-out when his Uncle Al's red Toyota stopped next to the truck and out came none other than Billy. "Hi, Billy." Dunya waved to her odd and younger cutie. Johann, however, was stunned and gave his younger cousin a small smile. "Let's go." Billy said, while banging on the roof of the truck, Alex shot him a death glare: "Получите, прежде чем я сократить свое сердце и кормить его на съедение волкам! (Get off before I cut your heart out and feed it to the wolves!)" he shouted. Billy was puzzled, even though he knew the foreign language was to keep his own diagnosis a secret as well, said to Dunya. "What did he say?" "Don't listen to him he doesn't know what he's saying."

Later, on Keith's side of the Brick, Johann, Dunya and Alexei said to the two lovebirds to be: "We'll going to look at the… nature side of the place, and don't worry about us, we'll be walking that way home."

Further into the woods, the three Russian-Americans laid down to rest, Dunya had carried with her an Evian bottle and drank a swig of it while Alex and Johann studied a lizard. "Oh look," he said unenthusiastically, "They've laid out an Iguana for us." Alexei looked at his watch. "I think we'd better go before Keith and his dad notice we're not home." At the precise moment Keith's truck started to move toward the cliff, Dunya thought she could have sworn to hear Natalie shouting his name. "Couldn't be."

At Keith's house, Johann found the teen rummaging through his room. "Where are the pills?!" Keith shrieked. "I thought I had them sitting by the table by the window." Johann muttered, he turned to Dunya. "When I got to the door, Keith's jacket was gone." "Don't blame me." Keith stiffened. "But it looked so cute and roughly wet, why do people steal things?" Dunya protested in angst. To make sure of her correction, Johann looked at the coat rack by the door and replied: "That's a darn good question, Dunya." But it wasn't until later when he found out that Natalie had them the next day…

* * *

**Just to let you know, today (December 15) is my birthday, I chose to update the story on this date.**


	4. At the hospital

At the school, the very next day, Johann was peering at the stud of a cigarette when Natalie came up with the pills "Could you explain this?" she said. Johann looked at the Russian printing on the tablet and quickly hid it from her. "Just a bunch of diet pills, imported directly from Kamchatka." Natalie unfortunately, had managed to translate the prescription on the computer using careful time and patience. "Save the excuses, I know what it is." Johann had a chip on his shoulder the size of Siberia, he sneered at the fact she was beginning to found out about Keith's secret. "Do you know what a Triptopax is? It's one of the ways exploiters use to make certain people forget about the worst moments of their life. For over a hundred or two years medics, doctors and nurses have used these 'happy pills' as a way to pluck the feather of a Firebird. I once heard of a girl who once went to bed with an empty stomach and dreamed of a hero all because she took just one of these." He showed her one of the pills and gave the tablet back to Natalie. "Sorry about that." She said in a sad smile.

Fortunately for him, Keith would be in the hospital for two weeks for medication. With only Johann and Dunya for company, they spent the next 14 days playing different board games next to Keith's left bedside, the first being chess. "Тем не менее, как смелые, как и всегда, я вижу. (Still bold as ever I see.)" said Johann to Keith with his eyes toward his opponent. "Фокус, достойный вашего друга Натали. (A trick worthy of your friend Natalie.)" Dunya tried to change the subject. "Твой шаг. (Your move.)" "He taught you well." replied Johann. "Don't make me think I'm a girl." she rebuffed. "No you're not."

Next, they tried playing Dungeons and Dragons. "Are you sure?" said Dunya "Yes." replied Johann. "Well if that's the way you want it." She about to take a slide when Johann pushed his piece in her place. "Ох ...! Вы должны быть стыдно за себя, выиграв с подвоха в этом роде. (Oh...! You ought to be ashamed of yourself, winning with a dirty trick like that.)" "Типичный женский реакции. (Typical female reaction.)" Dunya looked at another box "Еще одна игра! (Another game!)"

On the seventh day, they played Battleship. "B-3." exclaimed Johann. "E-5." put in Dunya, before mimicking "Как вам не стыдно, позволив женщине бить тебя так легко? (Aren't you ashamed, letting a girl beat you that easily?)" "Я мог бы легко выиграл, если бы ты не утонул мой корабль. (I would have won easily if you hadn't sunk my battleship.)"

After that, the next day, they were playing Clue. Out of the blue, Dunya asked "Why ever did we leave the school? You can't imagine the fuss they made since Keith's absence." "At the school all the ever do is talk and talk." Johann replied holding up a card. "Some words can be lost like 'Mr. Green in the Hall with the Revolver.' It has the sound of a church bell." Dunya chuckled "Your move."

By the tenth day, they played Candy Land. Dunya looked over Keith, then to Johann. "According to Lord Licorice, everything to him is bad." Johann switched dialects. "Когда такие люди, как ваша солодки Господь есть власть над жизнью и смертью миллионов людей, кто-то должен принести его вниз. (When men like your Lord Licorice have the power of life and death over millions of people, someone needs to bring him down.)" " Но это невероятно. Вы одержимы Билли! Что он сделал для вас, чтобы вы его так ненавидите? (But it's incredible. You're obsessed with Billy! What has he done to you to make you hate him so?)" Dunya remarked. Johann did not want to speak about his cousin being on the verge of death. "Это то, что его диагноз сделал. Для несчастной жертвы. Вы помните, что случилось прошлой зимой? (It's what his diagnosis has done. To an unfortunate victim. Do you remember what happened last winter?)" said Johann, with scowl on his lips.

And finally on the thirteenth day, they played Monopoly. "Умирающего ребенка это плохо для другого. (A dying child is a bad thing to another.)" Johann said in a sad tone, but Dunya decided to cheer him up by landing his piece on Battery Park. "It was your move." she said, and after a small silence: "Это ваше движение. Как только Кейт уступил, если он это сделает, я не думаю, что вы думали, что вы будете говорить принцип, когда школа обнаруживает, что он отсутствует. (Once Keith has succumbed, if he does, I don't suppose you've thought of what you'll say to the principle when the school discovers he is absent.)" Johann put his right foot down. "Существует не нужно никому, кроме самих себя, Al и его отца. Мы просто скажу школе он был переведен в Онтарио, и это будет некоторое время, прежде чем они смогут найти истину для себя. (There is no need to tell anybody but ourselves, Al and his father. We'll just tell the school he got transferred to Ontario and it will be some time before they can find out the truth for themselves.)" He looked at a clock reading 9:00 PM. "Time to go." said Johann with a carefree attitude; he knew that Keith would be back at School the very next day.


	5. The airport, death and thereafter

After Natalie was suspended due to breaking into Keith's locker. Dunya knew she had a beautiful rival for Billy's affection, or so she thought and when Natalie came over to Keith's house to deliver a present, she crept behind her and said. "Hello, Natalie, did you forget something?" "No." "Well, maybe you forgot…his dad!" She pulled Mr. Zetterstorm into the living room who sadly admitted that Keith did not want to see her and when Keith walked out to his truck asking Dunya to go with him, she just sat there on the divan and refused to leave. Johann finally got her over to Billy's house; Alex said afterword that if Natalie had to choose between Raphael and Keith, he'd pick the latter.

To make matters worse, by the time Billy went through a few fainting spells, Dunya tried calling Keith's cell phone. Keith was already making out with Natalie in the loader of his truck, stripped to the waist. They both heard the sound of the phone humming, "Don't answer it." Natalie moaned. Keith tried to read for it with his right hand, "I have to…" the battery went dead.

Johann was holding Billy's left hand as the boy sat in bed. "What's happening?" Billy asked weakly. Johann patted his hand. "I think this may be our farewell meeting." Dunya came into the room, looking as if she had seen a ghost. "Oh god…Alex! Al! Call the hospital! I think he might be dying!" Billy went into unconscious for a bit, Johann making sure he was alright, resuscitated him twice, then pushed his chest three times, to little avail. Dunya made a short scream as the darkest areas of her life was yet to come.

When Keith heard after coming home from his consummating with Natalie, Dunya rushed him right over to the hospital and introduced him to the receptionist who quickly brought him over to Billy's room. He asked about the situation and knowing that it was extremely dire, had his upper body right on top of Billy, whose breathing was labored and his speech was slightly nonsensical. "Can you hear them chanting?" Billy said in a voice that stared through Keith's eyes into empty space, the sound was clearly his heartbeat. "Do you understand?" he asked again. "Billy?!" Keith screamed, holding his shoulders tightly. "I saw you in my dream…" Billy uttered in a faint voice, but Keith gripped him firmly, refusing to let the poor child die of an uncertain fate. "Billy!" he shrieked again with great force. Keith and Billy locked their eyes together in a great stare (contest) as a tear came out of his left eye. "Keith…" Billy sobbed, his spirit had left his body and his pupils dilated: he had finally succumbed to his leukemia and died on his brother of a friend's abdomen.

Billy's mother sobbed on her husband's shoulder and Dunya patted them on the back. Johann had taken a blood sample from when Billy was tested on and gave it to her in a close up bag, "Put this in his house for preservation and note the time of death." "Okay" the girl replied sadly. Alex gave a shout to all the other witnesses, "Let's clear out." Keith gave the younger boy's forehead a kiss, "Well, I guess this is goodbye." The four were not going to attend a private funeral for him.

Dunya was conversing with Johann in Keith's bedroom, (in English for they no longer had to hide Billy's secret since he was dead already). "Now that Billy's dead," she asked. "I don't supposed you've thought of what you'll say to his school." "We won't need to," replied Johann. "We'll just tell them he moved to Helsinki, Finland and it will be a month or two before they find out the truth. We'll be gone by then." "Gone? Where?" "London, Ontario, of course." Dunya was startled. "But we can't leave Keith. You know it's his dream." Johann replied. "It's the only way, 'cause I don't believe in marriage and boys like my cousin that have set America back by a hundred and two years!"

"Billy wasn't a bad boy."

"There is good and bad in every person, Dunya. But leukemia can be one of the most evil products of the most evil system ever invented by God in heaven."

"Speak for yourself."

"If you could hear things I've seen and heard, not even you, Dunya, would be able to draw a knife from it's sheath and kill him while he slept."

"I won't listen! If you hate Keith so much you must also hate me and Alex."

"I could never hate you."

"What about Natalie?"

"No one in Natalie's school is innocent. I mean, what does she matter? It's meaning of her boyfriend's life that counts."

So by the time Natalie found out, no thanks to Al (causing Dunya to utter Lucille Ball's now-famous groan of disgust/spider face "Eww.") she instructed the trio to pack their bags as she put Keith's apparel in the suitcase she carried and a feigned plane ticket from scratch paper and gave to a waiting Keith at the airport. Johann hugged Dunya as Alex paid for the plane tickets to Ontario. "Soon we'll be in that big house by the river." he consoled her as Keith and Natalie conversed over his life being miserable.

But she was going to stay with him no matter what, and when they kissed it gave trio the oppertunity to grab Keith away from the Natalie and through the security gate. "I just want to say good bye." he muttered before Alex covered his mouth with his left hand. As soon as they were far enough, Natalie followed them onto the plane when no one on the security squad was looking, she huddled close to her dying lover just as she had promised him earlier.

As Johann had promised, the group soon came the big house by the river, and it wasn't until later when Keith was at the truck convention for 15 minutes and was laid to rest on a king sized bed nude, if not simply just barechested with Natalie holding his clamy hand, Dunya crying on Johann's shoulder and Alex praying to the invisible god.

"There may be an attempt on our lives... and unto those who would follow us all the way from Monte Carlo... I am not afraid of death."


End file.
